Monthly Archives: February 2013

I was told yesterday that I needed to start a new blog that would be in alignment with my Reiki and coaching practice. I am definitely open to the idea as I enjoy writing, and it will allow me to continue learning while also sharing with others something that I find to be fascinating and incredibly helpful. I put the information on the back burner though, because I was given a lot of homework by my branding instructor, Elicia Woodford. Nevertheless, despite the fact that I have a long list of “to-do’s” to get through today, which includes catching up on school work, badger had other plans for me.

During my meditation this morning, I asked for an animal spirit to come forth and offer me some guidance for the day. Well, badger jumped right up to let me know that I was supposed to get this blog started. One of his messages for us is to relate our stories. The feeling that came through from him today was that I should start my blog by sharing the story of how totem guidance began for me. In actuality, it began a long time ago, only I didn’t connect my childhood to the present until I began working with Elicia.

Previous to my birth, my grandfather (in actuality step-grandfather, but he was in my life from the time I was born) had been married to a Native American in the Washington area. As a result of this, he had become interested in the idea of totems and he created amazing and gorgeous totem poles, carving and painting each one himself. I remember being completely fascinated by them, and I always wanted to go into his shop to see what he was working on. Each year for show-and-tell, I would take a totem pole into class. I loved touching them and being around them. I couldn’t have articulated it at the time, but their energy resonated with me.

Fast forward about 30 years. My grandfather has passed away, and because of a broken relationship between my grandmother and her step-daughter, who is half Native American, all of my grandfather’s totem poles have been taken to the reservation where she lives. This was devastating to me, as I had secured a promise from him that I would receive one “once I settled down.” Unfortunately, this didn’t happen by the time he passed on. I did , however, receive a few of his belts. He had crafted the leather himself and each had a brass buckle with a totem it. One of them has been my preferred belt for the past decade or so, and I absolutely adore it.

I suppose that I shouldn’t have been surprised when animal spirits began showing up with messages during my Reiki sessions, but I was. I didn’t make the connection at all (I can be somewhat spacey at times), but I enjoyed receiving the messages and they always resonated with my clients. I purchased a few books and started researching them, and the messages became more frequent and more clear. The way the information is given to me indicates that there are power animals, and we all have one to three of these spirit guides that work with us daily over long periods of time. Usually one of these resonates the most strongly with the individual, but I have had some clients that demonstrate a strong resonance with several. In addition to these, animal spirits are working with all of us all of the time, and different vibrations come to us to help us with different things. If we happen to be moving, we may have the energy of the mouse with us, which helps us to get our house in order. If we are going through some major life changes, and need to be able to see things with a broader perspective, eagle may show up for us. If we want to draw on the energy of an animal to help us, we need only ask. It is just like asking for help from the angels, and in fact, they are a lot like the angels, except that their energy vibrates in a different manner. So, if you need courage, call on the spirit of the lion to help you, and if you want to shed past attachments so that you may experience transformation, call on the energy of snake to assist you.

Working with animal spirits is a lot of fun, and just like all spirits, they want to help us. I am amazed during each of my sessions by their willingness to love and support us unconditionally from the other side, and I have seen my clients receive a lot of insight and clarity from the messages they receive. One easy way to connect with them is through meditation, but you can also do so by taking the time to watch and learn about them. Don’t worry about the results; have fun with it, and trust that the guidance is there for you.